Koizumi vows further support for U.S. war escalation policy: Japan-U.S. summit talks

Japan's Prime Minister Koizumi Jun'ichiro unconditionally supported Bush's unilateral warlike policy and U.S. President George W. Bush encouraged Koizumi to push ahead with his "structural reform" in the summit talks held in Tokyo on February 18.

At a joint news conference after the talks, asked about his reference to North Korea, Iran, and Iraq as an "axis of evil" in his State of the Union address, Bush said, "I explained to him all options are on the table," suggesting that the U.S. is prepared to launch an attack against Iraq.

Praising Japan as "one of America's greatest and truest friends," Bush said, "The U.S.-Japanese alliance is the bedrock for peace and prosperity in the Pacific. Japan is a generous host to America's forward-deployed forces, providing an essential contribution to the stability of Asia. And we have had no better friend, and nobody provides such steadfast support as the Japanese government." Bush has thus highly appreciated Japan's support for the U.S.-led retaliatory war.

Koizumi expressed his resolute support for Bush's "axis of evil" threat by saying that it demonstrates a firm U.S. resolution to fight against terrorism, hinting that Japan will increase its military support for the U.S.

"By expressing unconditional support for the 'axis of evil' remarks, Prime Minister Koizumi showed a complete lack of independent judgment, which is rare in the world," said Japanese Communist Party Executive Committee Chair Shii Kazuo at a press conference on the same day.

Referring to Bush's advice on measures to overcome Japan's deflation issue, Koizumi pledged Bush that he will push ahead with the "structural reform" which actually means aggravating Japan's unprecedented economic crisis characterized by a deflationary spiral.

Shii said that Koizumi's statement is very serious in that it means another pledge to the U.S. that will lead Japan's economy into catastrophe.

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Earlier in the day, the U.S. president and his wife visited Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, where Emperor Meiji is enshrined.

The Japan Religionists' Council for Peace on February 16 issued a statement demanding Koizumi cancel its plan for the shrine visit. Warning that the visit is tantamount to infringing on the constitutional principle that, "The State and its organs shall refrain from religious education or any other religious activity," the council sent the demand to the prime minister's office. (end)